Awkwafina

For the bottled water, see Aquafina.
Awkwafina
Background information
Birth name Nora Lum
Born New York City, New York, U.S.
Origin Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York
Genres Alternative hip hop, East Coast hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, actress
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2006–present
Associated acts Dumbfoundead
Website http://awkwafina.com

Nora Lum is an American rapper, comedian, television personality, television host and actress known by the stage name Awkwafina. She originates from the Forest Hills, Queens, area of New York City. She is self-noted for her extensive satire and comical appeal in her music.

Background

Born to a first-generation Chinese American father and South Korean immigrant mother,[1][2] Nora Lum grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. Her mother passed away when she was 4.[3] As an only child, she described herself as being "often very lonely"[4] and she was close to her grandmother.[3] At age 11, she began reading the works of Charles Bukowski.[4]

She attended LaGuardia High School where she played trumpet and was trained in classical and jazz music.[5] She adopted the name Awkwafina, and began rapping and writing songs in GarageBand at age 17.[6] From 2006 to 2008, Lum attended the Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China, where she studied Mandarin. Lum also majored in Journalism when she attended SUNY Albany.[7]

Career

Her solo album, Yellow Ranger, was released on February 11, 2014. The EP includes a number of her previous singles released via YouTube, including the title track "Yellow Ranger" as well as "Queef", "NYC Bitche$", and "Mayor Bloomberg (Giant Margarita)".[8] She is featured in the documentary Bad Rap, produced by Salima Koroma and Jaeki Cho, which puts the spotlight on her as well as upcoming fellow Asian American rappers such as Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy, and Lyricks.[9][10] Awkwafina was part of the lineup at Festival Supreme on October 25.[11]

She hosts a short-form talk show Tawk on streaming service go90.[12] Guests have included kitty, Jean Grae, Hasan Minhaj, and Asa Akira.

In 2014, Awkwafina was added to the cast of the third season of Girl Code.[13] In 2015, she appeared in the documentary Bad Rap about Asian American rappers.[14] In 2016, she played a supporting role in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and starred in the indie comedy Dude.[15][16]

Inspirations

Lum has listed Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker as among her inspirations.[4]

Discography

Yellow Ranger

  • Released: 11 February 2014
  • Writer: Nora Lum
  • Producer: Nora Lum
  • Tracks: 11
  • Singles: "My Vag", "NYC Bitche$", "Queef"

Filmography

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ Nora Lum - Immigration Paper, University at Albany, SUNY
  2. ↑ Lee, Traci (26 August 2014). "How Nora Lum Became Rapper Awkwafina Instead of A Meat Inspector". NBC News. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "September Cover Story: Awkwafina Establishing Her Presence | KoreAm Journal". iamkoream.com. Retrieved 2016-05-01. horizontal tab character in |title= at position 59 (help)
  4. 1 2 3 "| 13 Awkward Questions With Rapper Awkwafina". Mochi Magazine. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  5. ↑ Trinh, Jean (March 14, 2013). "Meet Awkwafina: an Asian Female Rapper on Vaginas, Tackling Racism & More". Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Goodman, Elyssa. "Can an Asian Woman Be Taken Seriously in Rap?". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  7. ↑ "LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ Kim, James. "Rapper Awkwafina Releases Debut Album". KoreAm Magazine. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (24 May 2014). "Premiere: Watch a Sneak Peek of the "Bad Rap" Documentary". Complex. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "재키 조 제작 영화 '배드 랩'…다큐로 보는 한인 힙합 뮤지션들의 삶 [LA중앙일보] 랩퍼 4인 활동과 고민에 초점 장편 완성 위한 후원 기다려". Korea Daily (in Korean). 23 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Blistein, Jon (27 May 2014). "Tenacious D Combine Jokes and Jams for 2014 Festival Supreme Lineup". Rolling Stones. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Awkwafina - The Tawk show of my dreams is now a reality". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  13. ↑ http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/ryan-ling-girl-code-season-3-guy-code-1201316847/
  14. ↑ "Bad Rap (2015)". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  15. ↑ "Rapper Awkwafina Joins 'Neighbors' Sequel". NBC News. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  16. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. "Indie Comedy ‘Dude’ Rounds Out Lead Cast With Trio Of Actresses". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-03-14.

External links

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